It’s always interesting to see the connection between a church community and their love of AFL.

Religion can be said to be a touchy topic, but when united as one community for the love of AFL suddenly religion takes a back seat for a few hours when it all becomes about tactics, teammates and a red Sherrin.

But that’s not to say that religion is completely forgotten among the focus of scoring through the big sticks; especially for the boys who play in my Parish’s footy team the MYM and their biggest fan Fr. Alain.

The MYM Vics 2013

The MYM, short for ‘Maronite Youth Melbourne’ footy team played it first game in Horsham against Adelaide in State of Origin style, winner takes the cup and

bragging rights in 1988. I am told there was about a ten year gap of no games being played but as of recent years the State of Origin game has been played every year, if not every two years.

There is constant training, preparations and church community fundraisers to ensure that the MYM Vic boys are ready to bring home the prize.

The 2013 State Of Origin match took place recently and while the MYM Vic boys had a little history on their side with the wins going 5-4 their way; unfortunately they were unable to secure the win and keep the trophy in Victoria.

The Adelaide boys were able to run away with the lead after a close start of an eight point difference, eventually winning the game by 39 points.

I was lucky enough to grill the footy brains of Vic MYM superstar teammates Joe and David (Both Carlton supporters, what is the world coming to?! :P ) in an interview about the game.

What preparation did the team go through after landing in Adelaide?

It was pretty low key. On the Friday night before the game we met gathered at the Monastery, had a kick outside, ordered pizza and pasta for dinner and socialized. But once Saturday came it was all about match day preparation.

Would you consider the relationship between MYM and the SA team to be a strong rivalry or on more friendly terms?

Leading into the game there was a strong focus on the match itself. We trained weekly from December right through to the week of the match so a lot of effort was put in. After the game, however, we come together to celebrate the Maronite communities with a post match function where we ate together, best players were awarded, and we socialised with the Adelaide boys.

How did the loss impact the team?

We were pretty confident going into the match so the loss was devastating to all players, coaches, and supporters, and Father Alain. I know he was just as keen as the rest of us to keep that trophy in Vics hands!

Having lost the match, is there anything the team needs to work on to improve for next time?

There are many things we can improve on but the three main areas are playing as a team (sounds cliche but it was really evident during the game how bad it was, we didn’t know each other well enough and didn’t gel at all), fitness, and discipline in terms of accountability, 1%’s etc.

What position do you play and which AFL player would you liken your playing style to and why?

Dave: Half-back or back pocket. As much as I hate him (I’m a Blues supporter) I play like Nick Maxwell as I’m that third tall that can run, but I also zone off and help out the other defenders and am always hard at the contest.

Joe: Running defender similar to Chris Yarran, as I’m quick and skillful.

Were any major game plans changed throughout the game?

They played with a loose man in defence, which meant we had to adjust by also having that loose man. We tried to free up our best defender as the loose man but he was moved up the ground (not sure why this happened).

How were the players able to adapt to playing in the heat and did it have a strong impact on the team physically?

The heat definitely took its toll on us. Our players were getting fatigued and had to bench themselves, which meant some players were playing in position they weren’t used to. We probably didn’t adapt as well as the Adelaide boys.

Was there any niggles, jumper pulling between you and the opposition, or was the focus solely on the footy?

There were some scuffles here and there, and one in particular late in the game involving a few players, but no one got out of hand.

What do you feel was the highlight of the game?

Dave: When Vinnie spoiled, won the ball, took on three players and beat them all in the last quarter

Haha, well I’m sure all the girls will agree in reference to the photo that they are a bunch of handsome blokes!
This was my first interaction with members of the footy team so i was very interested when found out they played State of Origin games. Its always good to experience different games and teams. :)

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